Techniques for bounding cleaning operations of a robotic surface cleaning device within a region of interest

ABSTRACT

In general, the present disclosure is directed to a hand-held surface cleaning device that includes circuitry to communicate with a robotic surface cleaning device to cause the same to target an area/region of interest for cleaning. Thus, a user may utilize the hand-held surface cleaning device to perform targeted cleaning and conveniently direct a robotic surface cleaning device to focus on a region of interest. Moreover, the hand-held surface cleaning device may include sensory such as a camera device for extracting three-dimensional information from a field of view. This information may be utilized to map locations of walls, stairs, obstacles, changes in surface types, and other features in a given location. Thus, a robotic surface cleaning device may utilize the mapping information from the hand-held surface cleaning device as an input in a real-time control loop, e.g., as an input to a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) routine.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/661,496 filed on Apr. 23, 2018, which is fullyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification relates to surface cleaning apparatuses, and moreparticularly, to a hand-held surface cleaning device with a controllerarrangement to communicate with a robotic vacuum or robotic surfacecleaning device.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Powered devices, such as vacuum cleaners, have multiple components thateach receive electrical power from one or more power sources (e.g., oneor more batteries or electrical mains). For example, a vacuum cleanermay include a suction motor to generate a vacuum within a cleaning head.The generated vacuum collects debris from a surface to be cleaned anddeposits the debris, for example, in a debris collector. The vacuum mayalso include a motor to rotate a brush roll within the cleaning head.The rotation of the brush roll agitates debris that has adhered to thesurface to be cleaned such that the generated vacuum is capable ofremoving the debris from the surface. In addition to electricalcomponents for cleaning, the vacuum cleaner may include one or morelight sources to illuminate an area to be cleaned.

Some types of vacuum devices, such as so-called “upright” vacuums canrequire a user to supply force to guide the vacuum in a desireddirection and to hold a portion of the vacuum's weight in the user'shand. Generally, this includes gripping a handle portion with at leastone hand and supplying a force sufficient to guide the nozzle of thevacuum over surfaces to be cleaned during use. Even when a vacuum isself-propelled, e.g., by a drive motor, extended use of such vacuums canresult in physical fatigue.

Robotic vacuums can advantageously eliminate fatigue associated withmanually operating a vacuum. However, robotic vacuums tend to operateautonomously and lack the ability to adapt to cleaning requirements thatchange on-the-fly. For example, a robotic vacuum may be unaware anaccidental spill has occurred across the room and may take a significantamount of time before the robotic vacuum naturally arrives at the mess.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features advantages will be better understood by readingthe following detailed description, taken together with the drawingswherein:

The drawings included herewith are for illustrating various examples ofarticles, methods, and apparatuses of the teaching of the presentspecification and are not intended to limit the scope of what is taughtin any way.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a control system for remotelycontrolling a surface cleaning device in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows an example embodiment of a hand-held surface cleaningdevice implementing the control system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a control cable coupled to a roboticsurface cleaning device consistent with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 shows another perspective view of a control cable consistent withan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an example method consistent with the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A shows an example map for use by a robotic surface cleaningdevice, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B shows another example map for use by a robotic surface cleaningdevice, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, the present disclosure is directed to a hand-held surfacecleaning device that includes circuitry to communicate with a roboticsurface cleaning device to cause the same to target an area/region ofinterest for cleaning. Thus, a user may utilize the hand-held surfacecleaning device to perform targeted cleaning (e.g., so-called “spot”cleaning) and conveniently direct a robotic surface cleaning device tofocus on a region of interest. Moreover, the hand-held surface cleaningdevice may include sensory such as a camera device (or other suitablevision system) for extracting three-dimensional information from a fieldof view. This information may be utilized to map locations of walls,stairs, obstacles (e.g., furniture, toys, and so on), changes in surfacetypes (e.g., wood floors versus carpet), and other features in a givenlocation. Thus, a robotic surface cleaning device may utilize themapping information from the hand-held surface cleaning device as aninput in a real-time control loop, e.g., as an input to a SimultaneousLocalization and Mapping (SLAM) routine.

While it may be preferable to implement such vision and mapping systemswithin a hand-held surface cleaning device and an associated roboticsurface cleaning device, this disclosure is not limited in this regard.Computer vision systems including algorithms/logic and supportinghardware, e.g., transmitters and receivers that utilize ultraviolet(UV), near infrared (IR), and any other suitable visible or invisiblewavelength, may be implemented within a wide-range of devices. Forexample, such systems may be implemented, whole or in part, in ahandheld cleaning device, a handheld device (e.g., a smart phone, remotecontrol), or an autonomous device (e.g., a drone or robot).

In any event, vision systems may be utilized to identify dirt, dust,organic matter and/or general areas of interest to be cleaned. Theinformation/features acquired by such vision-enabled systems may then beanalyzed and used to construct a real-time “dirt mapping” that can beoverlaid on to SLAM for navigation. Consumers of the dirt mapping, suchas a robotic vacuum and/or via a so-called “app” on a smart phone, maythen utilize the data to direct cleaning operations and makemodifications to cleaning schedules, locations, and so on. Thus, whilethe present disclosure makes specific reference to a hand-held surfacecleaning device with an integrated vision system, other embodiments arewithin the scope of this disclosure.

This disclosure may interchangeably use robotic to refer to both deviceswith and without autonomous control systems, and embodiments and aspectsdisclosed herein are not intended to be limited to one type of deviceunless otherwise specified.

In one specific example embodiment, the hand-held surface cleaningdevice may utilize direct communication with the robot vacuum totransmit commands, such as via Wi-Fi (i.e., an IEEE 802.11 protocol),Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or other wireless communication approach.Alternatively, the hand-held surface cleaning device may communicateindirectly via, for example, visible or invisible wavelengths providedby one or more laser devices, and/or via sound waves which are audibleor inaudible to a user. For example, the hand-held surface cleaningdevice may include a laser device to emit light, which in turn may bedetected by sensory of the robotic surface cleaning device and used as anavigational point/target in order to focus cleaning on an area ofinterest. In other examples, sound which is audible or inaudible to thehuman ear may be used to communicate information/commands to a roboticsurface cleaning device. The sound may originate from the hand-heldsurface cleaning device to the robotic surface cleaning device, andvice-versa.

In still another example a remote device may operate as a beacon toprovide a positional signal such as audible or inaudible sound waves, aradio frequency (RF) signal, or any other suitable signal. Note, theremote device may also be a hand-held surface cleaning device or may bea different device. In any event, a robotic surface cleaning deviceand/or held-held surface cleaning device may use triangulation or othersuitable localization approach to establish a relative position betweenthe robotic surface cleaning device and the hand-held surface cleaningdevice based on the positional signal emitted by the remote device.Thus, the robotic surface cleaning device and/or hand-held surfacecleaning device may utilize the established relative position to allowthe robotic surface cleaning device to navigate to a desired location,e.g., to travel position of the hand-held surface cleaning device and/orperforming cleaning at a desired location. Accordingly, a roboticsurface cleaning device may advantageously navigate to a desiredlocation even when the hand-held surface cleaning device lacks a line ofsoft to the robotic surface cleaning device, which is a limitation ofexisting approaches that utilize light-based systems and those thatutilize maps.

In another example embodiment, a system for controlling a roboticsurface cleaning device via a control cable/tether is disclosed. Thecontrol cable may include a first end for electrically coupling to arobotic surface cleaning device and a second end for optionally couplingto a power supply, e.g., AC mains. One or more wires may be disposedalong the length of the control cable for providing power and/or commandsignals to a robotic surface cleaning device. The control cable mayfurther include a grip/handle portion disposed along the control cablethat a user may grip with one or both hands. The user may then provideinput in the form of gestures (e.g., forward/back/left/right motions orother suitable gestures) which may be similar to movements normallyemployed to operate an upright vacuum, but without the physical effortnormally exerted. The user input may then be converted into a signal andprovided to the robotic surface cleaning device, e.g., via the one ormore wires within the control cable, to cause the same to move in adesired direction.

The grip portion may be fixed/integrated into the control cable suchthat the grip portion cannot be removed. Alternatively, in someembodiments the grip portion may be removable to allow for wirelesscontrol of the robotic surface cleaning device. In these embodiments thegrip portion may be configured as a hand-held surface cleaning device,as discussed above. Accordingly, the grip portion may be docked to thecontrol cable for charging and/or storage purposes. Note the roboticsurface cleaning device may include a dock to couple to the removablegrip portion (or hand-held surface cleaning device), for storagepurposes.

A hand-held surface cleaning device consistent with aspects of thepresent disclosure includes a nozzle fluidly coupled to a body (or bodyportion) with a motor, power source and dust cup disposed within acavity provided by the body. One such example hand-held surface cleaningdevice is shown in FIG. 2 and is in a so-called “wand” or substantiallyco-linear configuration whereby substantially all of the componentsreside along the same longitudinal axis (e.g., the nozzle, dirty airpassageway, motor, dust cup and power source). In this embodiment, thebody portion may also function as a handgrip to allow the hand-heldsurface cleaning device to be comfortably operated by one hand, forexample. However, this disclosure is not intended to be limiting in thisregard and the hand-held surface cleaning device may include differentconfigurations.

As generally referred to herein, dust and debris refers to dirt, dust,water, or any other particle that may be pulled by suction into ahand-held surface cleaning device. Also, as generally referred toherein, a surface cleaning device may include a device configured tocollect and store debris and/or dispense cleaning fluid.

Turning to the Figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a controlsystem 1 consistent with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown,the control system 1 comprises an arrangement of components including acontroller 2, a transmitter (TX) circuit 3, a memory 4, a housing 5, anoptional antenna 6, optional sensor(s) 7, and an optional laser (orlight source) 8, and optional sound emitter 50. In an embodiment, thecontrol system 1 may be implemented in a hand-held surface cleaningdevice, e.g., hand-held surface cleaning device 17 (see FIG. 2).However, aspects and components of the control system 1 may beimplemented at least in part within a remote surface cleaning device,e.g., robotic surface cleaning device 9. For example, the controller 2be implemented within the robotic surface cleaning device 9, and in thisscenario the hand-held surface cleaning device 17 may also include acontroller but perform limited amounts of processing on captured datasuch that the remainder of processing gets performed by the controller 2within the robotic surface cleaning device 9. In addition, aspects andcomponents of the control system 1 may be provided by a control cable,as discussed in greater detail below (see FIG. 3), which may beremovably or non-removably coupled thereto depending on a desiredconfiguration.

Continuing on, the controller 2 comprises at least one processingdevice/circuit such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), Reduced Instruction Set Computer(RISC) processor, x86 instruction set processor, microcontroller, anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The controller 2 maycomprise a single chip, or multiple separate chips/circuitry. Thecontroller 2 may implement a robotic surface cleaning device controlprocess using software (e.g., C or C++ executing on thecontroller/processor 2), hardware (e.g., circuitry, hardcoded gate levellogic or purpose-built silicon) or firmware (e.g., embedded routinesexecuting on a microcontroller), or any combination thereof. The roboticsurface cleaning device control process may be configured to receiveinput via sensors 7 and convert the same into control commands to sendto the robotic surface cleaning device 9.

In an embodiment, the TX circuit 3 may comprise a network interfacecircuit (NIC) for communication via a network, e.g., the Internet orlocal area network such as a Bluetooth connection. The TX circuit 3 andthe antenna device 6 may also be referred to herein as an antennaarrangement. The robotic surface cleaning device 9 (FIG. 2) may alsoimplement a such an antenna arrangement to communicate with thehand-held surface cleaning device 17.

The laser 8 comprises any suitable device suitable for emitting visibleor invisible light. As discussed below, the laser 8 may be configured toemit a single, focused beam or a beam pattern (e.g., a grid). In anembodiment, the laser 8 comprises range finding circuitry such that thelaser 8 provides the control system 1 laser range finding capabilities.The laser 8 may therefore output measurements that correspond to arelative distance between the laser 8 and the object/surface which thelaser light emitted from the laser 8 is incident.

The sound emitter 50 may comprise, for instance, a speaker and a drivingcircuit to emit sound waves. The sound waves may comprise audible tones(about 20 Hz to 20 kHz) perceivable by a human ear or inaudible tones(e.g., below about 20 Hz and above about 20 kHz). The tones may beutilized to communicate with the robotic surface cleaning device 9. Thesensors 7 may include a microphone or other suitable sensor capable ofdetecting sound waves from the robotic surface cleaning device.Accordingly, the hand-held surface cleaning device 17 and the roboticsurface cleaning device may communicate in a unidirectional orbidirectional manner using sound waves. In an embodiment, the soundwaves may be utilized exclusively for communication between the roboticsurface cleaning device 9 and the hand-held surface cleaning device 17,although in other embodiments sound waves with or without RFcommunication may be utilized.

The optional sensors 7 may comprise, for example, a gyroscope and/oraccelerometer. In some cases, the gyroscope comprises a 3-axisgyroscope. The optional sensors 7 may further include an image sensor(or camera device) such as a semiconductor charge-coupled device (CCD),active pixel sensors in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS),stereo vision sensor, or other suitable sensor that allows forextraction of 3D features/information from digital images. The optionalsensors 7 may further enable dirt sensing via visible light,hyperspectral imaging processing, or any other suitable vision-basedapproach. The hand-held surface cleaning device 17 may also be utilizedby a user to move about an area to generate a dirt map. A roboticsurface cleaning device may then utilize the dirt map for referencepurposes to ensure cleaning efficiency. Likewise, a user may utilize thedirt map to perform manual cleaning using, for example, a broom or thehand-held surface cleaning device 17.

The optional sensors 7 may further comprise a GPS chip capable ofoutputting location data.

The memory 4 may comprise volatile and/or non-volatile memory devices.In an embodiment, the memory 4 may include a relational database, flatfile, or other data storage area for storing gesture profiles. Thegesture profiles may be utilized, for example, to train various gestures(e.g., hand/wrist motions) to detect user input and control the roboticsurface cleaning device 9 based on the same.

In an embodiment, the memory 4 may further store a plurality ofoperating modes for the robotic surface cleaning device 9. A user maythen select a particular operating mode, and the antenna arrangement maythen send a signal to the robotic surface cleaning device 9 to cause thesame to transition into a desired operational mode. The modes may bemanually selected, or automatically selected based on sensor input. Themodes may each be associated with movement/operational sequences such asspot cleaning, wall following, perimeter following, mapping, dirtsensing, and air quality sensing, just to name a few.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a cleaning system consistentwith the present disclosure. As shown, the cleaning system 10 includes ahand-held surface cleaning device 17 and a robotic surface cleaningdevice 9. The hand-held surface cleaning device 17 can implement thecontrol system 1 of FIG. 1. The hand-held surface cleaning device 17includes a housing that is generally shaped/contoured to be comfortablygripped in one hand. The hand-held surface cleaning device 17 mayinclude a coaxial/linear configuration whereby the nozzle 16 and thehandle portion 14 are disposed along the same longitudinal axis. Thehandle portion 14 may include a motor (e.g., a BLDC motor), a powersupply (e.g., one or more batteries) and a dust cup disposed therein.The dust cup may include a cyclonic dirt separation arrangement. Thus,dirt and debris may then be pulled into the nozzle 16 via suctiongenerated by the motor.

The robotic surface cleaning device 10 may include a known configurationand may include a housing, a nozzle, a dust cup for storage of dirt anddebris, a control system (e.g., a controller and associated circuitry),and a drive motor for driving one or more wheels. The control system mayimplement, for example, an autonomous cleaning and navigation controlloop. One such example control loop includes a Simultaneous Localizationand Mapping (SLAM) routine/process, although other approaches toautonomous navigation and control are within the scope of thisdisclosure. In an embodiment, the robotic surface cleaning device 9includes a mounting surface/receptacle 18 for coupling to the hand-heldsurface-cleaning device for storage and/or recharging purposes.

In use, the hand-held surface cleaning device 17 may directly orindirectly communicate a control command to the robotic surface cleaningdevice 9. For example, the hand-held surface cleaning device 17 maydirectly communicate with the robotic surface cleaning device 9 bysending one or more wireless signals 11. Alternatively, or in addition,the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may indirectly communicate withthe robotic surface cleaning device 9 by emitting a light 13 (and/orsound) adjacent a region of interest 12, as discussed in greater detailbelow.

In either case, the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may respond byfocusing cleaning in a semi-autonomous manner about region of interest12. As generally referred to herein, semi-autonomous refers to acleaning sequence/procedure whereby the robotic surface cleaning device9 navigates to the region of interest 12 in response to user input,i.e., based on receiving a control command from the hand-held surfacecleaning device 17, but in an autonomous manner, e.g., which may includeavoiding known obstacles, furniture, walls, etc., to perform variousautomated cleaning sequences including movements in aforward/back/left/right. Thus, the autonomous navigation (e.g.,implemented via SLAM) may effectively control the moment to momentmovement and navigation of the robotic surface cleaning device 9, butthe user may set a target area/region of interest 12 and confinesubsequent movement of the robotic surface cleaning device for apredefined period of time to the same. For example, the robotic surfacecleaning device 9 may remain within/adjacent the region of interest 12for at least the amount of time to make one or more passes over thesurfaces to be cleaned. Those areas outside of the region of interest 12may therefore be ignored or excluded. Of course, the larger the regionof interest 12 the longer the amount of time the robotic surfacecleaning device 9 may remain in this focused, semi-autonomous cleaningmode.

The robotic surface cleaning device 9 may avoid certain regions ofinterest, which in this context may be more accurately referred to asregions of non-interest, exclusion regions, or simply ignore regions. Inthis instance, one or more regions may be identified as disclosed hereinas regions which a user desires to have ignored. For example, some areasof a surrounding environment may have objects and furniture that may beeasily damaged by a robotic surface cleaning device. These areas maythen be easily identified by a user, e.g., using a hand-held device, andindicated as an ‘ignore’ region. A robotic surface cleaning device canreceive an indication of these ‘ignore’ regions and avoid those regionsduring cleaning operations.

In an embodiment, the emitted light 13 includes a grid, e.g., an M×Narray, that may be projected onto the region of interest 12. The roboticsurface cleaning device 9 may respond by focusing cleaning on the areaon which the emitted light 13 is incident. In some cases, the controlsystem 1 may utilize the grid in combination with vision sensors todetermine a topology/mapping for the region of interest 12. Thisinformation may allow for distinguishing and mapping of carpetedsurfaces versus hardwood floors, as well as mapping of wall and stairlocations, obstacle locations, and so on. Note, such information mayalso be provided via user input via, for instance, an ‘app’ that allowsa user to manually identify or otherwise confirm the location andpresence of such features/obstacles. The information may be thencommunicated to the robotic surface cleaning device 9, e.g., wirelesslyvia signals 11, which in turn may then utilize the information as inputsin the SLAM algorithm or other control loop implemented within therobotic surface cleaning device 9.

Therefore, the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may update its knownmapping information using the mapping information from the hand-heldsurface cleaning device 17. This may result in, for example, the roboticsurface cleaning device adjusting an operational parameter duringcleaning such as, for example, height of an associated nozzle toaccommodate hardwood floors versus carpet where transitions occur,change suction strength relative to surface types, activate/deactivatean agitator, activate supplemental brushes, deploy cleaning solution,and so on. In addition, the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may alsoimprove obstacle detection and otherwise enhance navigation by utilizingmapping information from the hand-held surface cleaning device 17.

In an embodiment, the grid (e.g., structured light, dot pattern, and soon) projected by the emitted light may further be used to communicatemovement commands to the robotic surface cleaning device 9 such asaccelerate/decelerate and turn commands. In one example case, as thehand-held surface cleaning device 17 is angled up, the projected gridmay “stretch”, and in response thereto, the robotic surface cleaningdevice 9 accelerates. On the other hand, as the projected grid isdirected downwards towards an orientation that is perpendicular orsubstantially transverse to the floor, the projected grid may return toorthogonal and regular spacing, and in response to that change, roboticsurface cleaning device 9 slows/stops. By detecting aninversion/transition in a given direction, e.g., from stretched toregular and then to stretched in the opposite direction, the roboticsurface cleaning device 9 may the reverse direction. As the projectedgrid turns/rotates relative to the robotic surface cleaning device 9,the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may then rotate to re-align theprojected grid to a fore-aft axis of the robotic surface cleaning device9. Stated differently, rotation of the projected may cause aproportional change in alignment of the robotic surface cleaning device9.

In an embodiment, a user grips then hand-held surface cleaning device 17and can use the laser 8 to “draw” a boundary defining the region ofinterest 12 using, for instance, the laser 8. The user can remainstationary and draw the region of interest 12, or travel throughout asurrounding environment to draw the region of interest 12. The hand-heldsurface cleaning device 17 can include a user input, e.g., a button, totransition the hand-held surface cleaning device into a mode to draw aboundary defining the region of interest. A visible beam of light maythen be projected to aid the user as they target the particular area ofsurface to include within the region of interest 12. At the same time,the laser 8 may utilize a range-finder circuit to output distancemeasurements to the target, and a GPS sensor can output an origin (ororiginating coordinate) from which the distance measurements were made.Note, the origin may captured via other sensory an approaches, such asusing RF triangulation.

The controller 2 may then perform a localization routine using thiscaptured data (also referred to herein collectively as measured locationdata) to translate the region of interest 12 into a plurality oflocalized coordinates that the robotic surface cleaning device 9 can useto update map in memory and perform focused cleaning operations withinthe region of interest 12. Additional data, such as image data capturedby one or more image sensors of the hand-held surface cleaning device 17may be used to determine surface types for the region of interest,identify obstacles and features (e.g., walls, stairs, and so on). Thus,the measured location data may also further include image data. One suchexample method for identifying the region of interest 12 based on the“drawn” boundary defining region of interest 12 is discussed furtherbelow with reference to FIG. 5.

In any event, the drawn boundary may then be mapped and provided to therobotic surface cleaning device for navigation purposes. In some cases,the region of interest is overlaid onto a SLAM map and may be stored,e.g., in a memory of the robotic surface cleaning device 9. The roboticsurface cleaning device 9 may then remain substantially within theboundary to focus cleaning for a predetermined period of time, oralternatively, until a user issues a subsequent command to cause therobotic surface cleaning device 9 to resume autonomous cleaningoperations.

Alternatively, a user may execute manual control of the robotic surfacecleaning device 9, wherein manual control includes a user directing eachmovement of the robotic surface cleaning device 9. For example, a usermay direct each movement of the robotic surface cleaning device byperforming gestures with or movements of the hand-held surface cleaningdevice 17. Note the hand-held surface cleaning device may furtherinclude a joystick (not shown) or other similar control, e.g., buttons,to receive user input and convert the same into control commands to sendto the robotic surface cleaning device 9.

Continuing on, a user may direct the robotic surface cleaning device 9to move forward by angling the nozzle 16 of the surface cleaning device17 towards the floor. On the other hand, a user may angle the nozzle 16of the surface-cleaning device towards a ceiling to cause the roboticsurface cleaning device 9 to travel backwards. Turns may be accomplishedby rotating the hand-held surface cleaning device 17 about itslongitudinal axis (e.g., by a user twisting their wrist) or by simplypointing the nozzle 16 of the hand-held surface cleaning device to theright or left of a user. The sensors 7, and more particularly thegyroscope and/or accelerometer, may be utilized to detect and quantifythe gestures as input signals. Accordingly, numerous gestures areenvisioned within the scope of this disclosure and the particularexamples provided above are not intended to be limiting.

A user may temporarily desire manual control, and in accordance with anembodiment, the user may transition between manual, semi-autonomous andfully-autonomous control with a predefined gesture or other input (e.g.,via a button) received by the hand-held surface cleaning device 17.

Turning to FIG. 5, an example method 500 for localizing a plurality oflocation data points and identifying a region of interest based on thesame is shown. The method 500 may be executed by the controller 2 ofFIG. 1, although this disclosure is not necessarily limited in thisregard.

In act 502, the controller 2 receives captured location data. Thecaptured location data can include a plurality of location data pointsin the form of a plurality of distance measurements captured by thelaser 8, e.g., based on the user “drawing” a boundary thereby thatdefines the region of interest 12. The captured location data canfurther include an associated origin from which each measurement wasmade as well as gyroscope data that represents the yaw/pitch/roll of thehand-held surface cleaning device 17 as each measurement was captured.Still further, the measured location data can further include image datawhich can be used to identify obstacles, structural features such aswalls, and other features that are associated with the region ofinterest 12.

In act 504, the controller 2 translates the captured location data, andmore particularly, the plurality of distance measurements, intolocalized coordinates. In more detail, the controller 2 first optionallyfilters the plurality of distance measurements and normalizes the sameto remove outliers and extraneous measurements (e.g., measurements thatwere caused by a user accidently pointing the laser 8 at the ceiling orat a location that exceeds a predefined distance limit or angle). Thecontroller 2 then translates each remaining distance measurement into alocalized coordinate, e.g., a cartesian coordinate, using a relativelysimple formula that utilizes the Euclidian distances between themeasured distance and associated origin, and the pitch/yaw/roll of thehand-held surface cleaning device 17 to orient the hand-held surfacecleaning device 17 in 3D space above the surface to be cleaned andoutput a local coordinate. Note, other approaches to localizingmeasurement data is within the scope of this disclosure and the providedexample is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

In act 506, the controller 2 then identifies at least one region ofinterest in a map based on the translated local coordinates. This caninclude the controller 2 overlying the plurality of localizedcoordinates on to a map in memory and establishing a boundary/perimeterthat reflects the position of the localized coordinates (e.g., in aconnect-the-dot manner). Alternatively, the shape which the localizedcoordinates reflect may be compared to known geometric shapes and acloset match may then be used to derive the boundaries for the region ofinterest. For example, consider the map of embodiment shown in FIG. 6A,wherein a plurality of local coordinates (X) collectively appear as acircular shape. In this instance, the controller 2 may identify thatshape formed by the local coordinates matches, within a high degree ofcertainty, a circular shape, e.g., based on a probability distributionfunction (PDF) or other mathematical function. Thus, the generatedregion of interest 12 may be configured to encompass at least a majorityof the localized coordinates as is shown in the example embodiment ofFIG. 6A. Note, other normal and irregular geometric shapes may berecognized and utilized by the controller 2 to determine the region ofinterest 12 including, for instance, rectangles, ellipses, and so on.

In act 508, the controller 2 updates the map based on the least oneidentified region. Note, act 508 may be performed by the controller 2within the hand-held surface cleaning device 17, or remotely by anothercontroller such as a controller within the robotic surface cleaningdevice 9. Continuing on, one example of such an example map updated toinclude at least one identified region, e.g., region of interest 12, isshown in FIG. 6A. In addition, the controller 2 may further update themap based on image data associated with the measured location data. Forinstance, obstacles such as furniture, pets, walls, stairs, and so onmay be identified based on the image data and represented in the updatedmap to aid navigation. For example, the embodiment of FIG. 6B shows anupdated map where image data was utilized to identify the position of awall 602 and a furniture object 604 adjacent the region of interest 12.Thus, the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may utilize the updated mapto account for obstacles within the region of interest 12 duringcleaning operations. Moreover, the updated map may be utilized beyondjust the region of interest 12 as the robotic surface cleaning device 9can utilize the updated map to navigate the surrounding environmentduring general cleaning operations.

In act 510, a robotic surface cleaning device, e.g., robotic surfacecleaning device 9, performs cleaning operations within the at least oneidentified region for a predefined period of time, which may also bereferred to as a bounded cleaning operation or mode. In act 510, therobotic surface cleaning device 9 may receive a command from thehand-held surfacing cleaning device 17 to begin the cleaning operations.In addition, the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may adjust thecleaning mode to account for one or more floor types associated with theat least one identified region. As was previously discussed, themeasured location data may include image data, for instance, that can beutilized to identify a floor type associated with the at least oneidentified region. The adjustment to the cleaning mode therefore caninclude, for instance, deploying a cleaning element, dispensing cleaningfluid, raising or lowering brushrolls, disabling brushrolls, and so on,to ensure the cleaning mode is suited to the detected floor type.

In an embodiment, the robotic surface cleaning device 9 may utilize theshape of the at least one identified region of interest to alter thenavigation path the robotic surface cleaning device takes whileperforming cleaning operations in act 510. For instance, a circularregion of interest may cause the robotic surface cleaning device tonavigate along a path that follows the perimeter of the region inclock-wise or counter-clockwise fashion, then with each pass the roboticsurface cleaning device can swerve/turn and then complete ever smallerand smaller circles until reaching the center. Likewise, a rectangularregion of interest can cause the robotic surface cleaning device tonavigate in a strip-like manner that includes a straight line of travelacross the width of the region, a 180 degree turn, and another straightline of travel, and so on. In addition, a user may establish the path totake by first establishing the region of interest, as discussed above,then “coloring in” that region using the laser 8 such that roboticsurface cleaning device 17, in a general sense, follows the brushstrokeswhile performing cleaning operations within the region of interest. Thiscan also allow the user to designate a particular section within theregion of interest as needing additional scrubbing/focused cleaning bythe robotic surface cleaning device.

In an embodiment, the user can “train” a robotic surface cleaning deviceto operate in a finely tuned manner by “learning” the user's particularcleaning preferences. For instance, a user can “draw” one or moreregions of interest using the laser 8, as described above, and then havethe robot vacuum 9 store the region(s) of interest in a memory. Using an“app” or other such user input, the user may then schedule that regionto be cleaned at specific times using a schedule, or on demand, or both.In addition, the user may set region(s) of interest as a so-called“priority regions” whereby all cleaning operations begin, or at leastinclude, focused cleaning within the stored region(s) of interest. Oneuse-case example demonstrates additional utility of this approach.Consider a scenario where a section of a room is used as a play-area forchildren, or as s location for a pet bed. The user may therefore “draw”those regions using the laser 8 and then engage a feature, e.g., an appinterface, that sets those regions as high-traffic, priority areas. Inturn, the robotic surface cleaning device may then clean those priorityregions with more regularity, e.g., the interval of time between therobotic surface cleaning device 9 cleaning the high priority regions isrelatively less than the interval used for other non-high priorityregions, and/or for additional amounts of time, e.g., the roboticsurface cleaning device may travel slower in these areas to maximizeexposure to suction and brushrolls, make additional passes in thehigh-priority areas, and so on.

FIG. 3 shows another example embodiment consistent with the presentdisclosure. As shown, the embodiment of FIG. 3 includes a control cable26 having a first end (or robotic surface cleaning device end) forelectrically coupling to the robotic surface cleaning device 9 and asecond end for electrically coupling to an electrical outlet, e.g., ACmains. A handle portion 21 (or housing portion 21) is disposed along thecontrol cable 26 between the first and second end. The first end mayinclude a connector, e.g., USB-C or other suitable connector, forcoupling to the robotic surface cleaning device 9. The second end mayinclude a plug 23 having a plurality of prongs for coupling to AC mains.The segment 24-2 of the control cable 26, measured from the handleportion 21 to the second end (e.g., the AC coupling end), may have anoverall length that is greater than the overall length of segment 24-1of the control cable measured from the handle portion 21 to the firstend. Thus, the control cable 26 may allow a user to have a degree offreedom to move about a room with the robotic surface cleaning device 9during cleaning operations while maintaining electrical connectivitywith the electrical outlet. In an embodiment, the robotic surfacecleaning device 9 does not include autonomous navigation systems andmovement directions may be determined based on signals from handleportion 21.

Alternatively, the second end of the control cable 26 may beelectrically uncoupled from the wall and the user may follow the roboticsurface cleaning device during cleaning without being tethered to anelectrical outlet. In this example, the handle portion 21 may utilize aninternal power supply, e.g., a battery, and/or may utilize power from abattery within the robotic surface cleaning device 9. In this case thecontrol cable 26 may include segments 24-1 and 24-2 removably coupled tothe handle portion 21. The segments 24-1 and 24-2 may be decoupled intotwo separate segments based on a user-supplied force, for example.Segment 24-2 may be decoupled from the handle portion 21 leaving justthe robotic surface cleaning device 9, segment 24-1, and the handleportion 21 during use by a user. In another embodiment, both segments24-1 and 24-2 may be removed and thus allowing the handle portion tooperate without a direct connection with the robotic surface cleaningdevice 9.

The handle portion 21 may implement the control system 1 discussedabove, the description of which will not be repeated for brevity. Thecontrol system 1 may communicate with the robotic surface cleaningdevice 9 via one or more wires within the control cable 26, orwirelessly depending on a desired configuration. The one or more wiresmay also provide power to the robotic surface cleaning device 9 from ACmains, for example.

In an embodiment, the handle portion 21 may be removably coupled to thecontrol cable 26. To this end, the control cable 26 may include base orother mounting surface that allows the handle portion 21 to dock. Inthis example, the base/mounting surface may include electrical contactsfor electrically coupling the handle portion 21 to the control cable 26,and by extension, the robotic surface cleaning device 9. As shown, therobotic surface cleaning device 9 may include a receptacle or othermounting surface 25 to allow a detached handle portion 21 to be coupledthereto for storage and/or recharging purposes. Accordingly, a user mayremove the handle portion 21 from the robotic surface cleaning device 9and then simply attach the same to the control cable when fine-graincontrol of the movements of the robotic surface cleaning device isdesired.

In an embodiment, the handle portion 21 may be implemented as a mobilecomputing device such as a smart phone, cell phone, or other suchdevice. In some cases, the handle portion may include a mounting regionfor coupling to a mobile computing device (see FIG. 4). The mountingregion may include a mating connector, e.g., a USB-C or other suitableconnector type, for providing electrical power and/or for communicatingsignals to the robotic surface cleaning device 9.

In an embodiment, a so-called “app” may be utilized on a mobilecomputing device that allow a user to change the settings of the roboticsurface cleaning device 9, store a plurality of operating modes, and/orchange operating characteristics of the robotic surface cleaning device9 such as responsiveness of the acceleration and steering. The mobilecomputing device may further include sensory such as an accelerometer,gyroscope, camera, and so on, that may be utilized by the “app” tocommunicate and direct the robotic surface cleaning device 9 eitherwirelessly or in a wired fashion.

In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure a control systemfor controlling a robotic surface cleaning device is disclosed. Thecontrol system comprising a robotic surface cleaning device having anozzle to receive dirt and debris and configured to travel about asurrounding environment, a hand-held device comprising an antennaarrangement to communicate with the robotic surface cleaning device andat least a first sensor to capture a plurality of location data points,each location data point corresponding to a physical location in thesurrounding environment, and a controller configured to translate thecaptured location data points into a plurality of localized coordinates,each localized coordinate of the plurality of localized coordinatescorresponding to locations in a map that virtually represents thesurrounding environment, identify at least one region of interest in themap based on the translated localized coordinates, and send a command tocause the robotic surface cleaning device to remain substantially withinareas of the surrounding environment corresponding to the at least oneidentified region of interest during cleaning operations.

In accordance with another aspect, a method of updating a map in amemory for use by a robotic surface cleaning device during autonomous orsemi-autonomous cleaning operations, the map virtually representing anenvironment surrounding the robotic surface cleaning device. The methodcomprising receiving, by a controller, a plurality of location datapoints, each of the plurality of location data points having anassociated origin of measurement representing a location in asurrounding environment from which a given location data point of theplurality of location data points was captured, translating, by thecontroller, the plurality of location data points into a plurality oflocalized coordinates based on the origin of measurement, identifying,by the controller, at least one region of interest in the map based onthe localized coordinates of the plurality of localized coordinates, andupdating, by the controller, the map in the memory based on the at leastone identified region of interest.

While the principles of the disclosure have been described herein, it isto be understood by those skilled in the art that this description ismade only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope ofthe disclosure. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope ofthe present disclosure in addition to the exemplary embodiments shownand described herein. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in theart that a surface cleaning apparatus may embody any one or more of thefeatures contained herein and that the features may be used in anyparticular combination or sub-combination. Modifications andsubstitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to bewithin the scope of the present disclosure, which is not to be limitedexcept by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A control system for controlling a roboticsurface cleaning device, the control system comprising: a roboticsurface cleaning device having a nozzle to receive dirt and debris andconfigured to travel about a surrounding environment; a hand-held devicecomprising an antenna arrangement to communicate with the roboticsurface cleaning device and at least a first sensor to capture aplurality of location data points, each location data pointcorresponding to a physical location in the surrounding environment; anda controller configured to: translate the captured location data pointsinto a plurality of localized coordinates, each localized coordinate ofthe plurality of localized coordinates corresponding to locations in amap that virtually represents the surrounding environment; identify atleast one region of interest in the map based on the translatedlocalized coordinates; and send a command to cause the robotic surfacecleaning device to remain substantially within areas of the surroundingenvironment corresponding to the at least one identified region ofinterest during cleaning operations.
 2. The control system of claim 1,wherein the controller is implemented within the hand-held device, andwherein the command is transmitted via the antenna arrangement of thehand-held device to the robotic surface cleaning device, and wherein thecommand is further configured to update a map in a memory of the roboticsurface cleaning device based on the at least one identified region ofinterest.
 3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller isimplemented within the robotic surface cleaning device, and wherein thehand-held device sends the plurality of captured location data points tothe robotic surface cleaning device within the surrounding environmentvia the antenna arrangement of the hand-held device.
 4. The controlsystem of claim 1, wherein the controller identifies the at least oneregion of interest in the map based on the translated localizedcoordinates collectively forming a shape that substantially correspondswith an irregular or regular geometric shape.
 5. The control system ofclaim 1, wherein the hand-held device further includes a second sensor,the second sensor being an image sensor.
 6. The control system of claim5, wherein the controller identifies at least one obstacle within the atleast one identified region of interest based on image data from theimage sensor of the hand-held device or based on user input.
 7. Thecontrol system of claim 5, wherein the controller identifies at leastone surface type within the at least one identified region of interestbased on image data from the image sensor of the hand-held device, andwherein the controller causes the robotic surface cleaning device toadjust a cleaning mode when performing cleaning operations within the atleast one identified region of interest based on the at least oneidentified surface type.
 8. The control system of claim 6, wherein thecontroller updates the map to include a representation of the at leastone identified obstacle, and wherein the robotic surface cleaning devicenavigates around the obstacle during cleaning operations based on theupdated map.
 9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the hand-helddevice is a surface cleaning device having a nozzle to receive dust anddebris and a dust cup for storing the received dust and debris.
 10. Amethod of updating a map in a memory for use by a robotic surfacecleaning device during autonomous or semi-autonomous cleaningoperations, the map virtually representing an environment surroundingthe robotic surface cleaning device, the method comprising: receiving,by a controller, a plurality of location data points, each of theplurality of location data points having an associated origin ofmeasurement representing a location in a surrounding environment fromwhich a given location data point of the plurality of location datapoints was captured; translating, by the controller, the plurality oflocation data points into a plurality of localized coordinates based onthe origin of measurement; identifying, by the controller, at least oneregion of interest in the map based on the localized coordinates of theplurality of localized coordinates; and updating, by the controller, themap in the memory based on the at least one identified region ofinterest.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transitioning,by the controller, the robotic surface cleaning device into a boundedcleaning mode wherein the robotic surface cleaning device navigates toareas of the surrounding environment corresponding to the at least oneidentified region based on the updated map and remains substantiallytherein over a predetermined amount of time while performing cleaningoperations.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, bythe controller, image data associated with the at least one identifiedregion of interest.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingadjusting a cleaning operation of the robotic surface cleaning devicewhile in the bounded cleaning mode based on the received image dataand/or updating the map based on the received image data.
 14. The methodof claim 12, further comprising identifying regions of the surroundingenvironment with a relatively high amount of dirt and debris based onthe received image data.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein adjusting acleaning operation further comprises identifying at least one floor typeassociated with the at least one identified region of interest based onthe image data and deploying a cleaning element suited for the at leastone identified floor type.
 16. The method of claim 10, whereinidentifying at least one region of interest in the map based on thelocalized coordinates further comprises matching the plurality oflocalized coordinates to a regular or irregular geometric shape based ona probability distribution function (PDF).
 17. The method of claim 10,wherein identifying at least one region of interest in the map based onthe localized coordinates further comprises identifying a boundary thatencompasses a majority of the plurality of localized coordinates. 18.The method of claim 10, wherein a shape of the at least one identifiedregion of interest determines a navigation path for the robotic surfacecleaning device while performing cleaning operations within the at leastone identified region of interest.
 19. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising storing the at least one identified region of interest in amemory and associating the at least one identified region of interestwith a schedule such that the at least one identified region of interestis cleaned autonomously at a regular interval.
 20. The method of claim10, further comprising storing the at least one identified region ofinterest as a high priority region in the memory.
 21. The method ofclaim 20, wherein transitioning the robotic surface cleaning device intoa bounded cleaning mode further comprises performing cleaning operationson the at least one identified region of interest stored as a highpriority region in the memory before other identified regions ofinterest.
 22. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the atleast one identified region of interest as an exclude region, theexclude region being ignored by the robotic surface cleaning device suchthat a physical area corresponding with the exclude region is ignoredduring cleaning operations.